Method of manufacturing sliders for slide fasteners



June 5, 1956 ULRICH 2,748,460

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SLIDERS FOR SLIDE FASTENERS Filed Jan. 18, 1951 INVENTOR. FREDERICK ULRICH BY H [5 ATTOEMEY$ United States Patent METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SLIDERS FOR SLIDE FASTENERS Frederick Ulrich, Jersey City, N. J., assignor to Conmar Products Corporation, Newark, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 18, 1951, Serial No. 206,580

8 Claims. (Cl. 29-410) The invention relates to slide fasteners and more particularly to the manufacture of sliders for slide fasteners.

In the patent to Richard Low, Number 2,372,837, granted April 3, 1945, having the same assignee as the present invention, it has been proposed to form a slider body blank by a rolling operation. There are many advantages to be realized in forming a slider body by rolling. However, the method disclosed by Low has several limitations. The rolls of Low are each formed with projections and recesses to form the side flanges, neck portion and lug for receiving the pull. Such rolls are of comparatively complicated contour, are expensive to make, and are not easily maintained over the long periods required for commercial runs.

Another limitation of the method of manufacture de scribed in the Low patent is that it results in a slider of limited usage. in the patent will not operate satisfactorily when the fastener is subjected to cross-pull during the closing movement of the slider. This may be overcome to some extent in the other slider constructions disclosed in the patent wherein long additional, laterally offset flanges are provided. A large amount of metal is required for fabrication of these sliders, without best satisfying the desired running qualities of the fastener. Aside from the added cost of additional material, such sliders are undesirable from the conservation standpoint in a period of critical metal shortages.

In accordance with my invention, a simplified rolling operation is used to form the flanges of slider bodies made from a strip of continuous length. The resulting slider possesses universal application. The slider is manufactured with the use of a minimum amount of material, and with scrap kept to an exceedingly small amount. Because of my simple method of manufacture, the dimensional accuracy of the product may be closely controlled, and the slider functions in a highly satisfactory manner under all conditions of usage.

To accomplish the foregoing general objects, and such other more particular objects as may hereinafter appear, my invention consists in the novel method steps for manufacturing sliders, and their relation one to another, as are hereinafter more particularly described in the specification, and sought to be defined in the claims. The specification is accompanied by a drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of a pair of rolls operating upon acontinuous strip of material to form the slider walls and the side flanges;

Fig. 2 is a section, on an enlarged scale, taken approximately in the plane of line 22 of Fig. 1 illustrating the manner in which the strip of material is deformed by the rolls;

8 Fig. 3 is a section taken along the line 3--3 of Fig. 1, showing the original preferred form of the strip prior to its deformation by the rolls;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, showing the strip after deformation by the rolls;

' Fig. 5 is a partially sectioned, schematic perspective The simplest form of the slider disclosed "ice view of means for forming a slider body from the rolled strip; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a finished slider body resulting from my novel method of manufacture.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a continuous strip of wire 12, preferably of metal, is fed between a pair of pressure rolls 14 and 16. As shown in Fig. 3, the strip 12 is flat and of uniform rectangular cross-section. It is deformed by the pressure rolls 14 and 16 so that it assumes the shape shown in Fig. 4, where the strip, now designated 18, is provided with parallel, unbroken, projecting flanges 20 and 22 extending continuously along each longitudinal edge of the strip. The distance between the flanges 20 and 22 is equal to the desired width of the closing or stem end of the finished slider.

The mating of the rolls 14 and 16 and their coaction is shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. The rolls are provided with mating portions 24 and 26 of such relative dimensions that the material of the strip is completely confined between the deforming portions of the rolls as the strip is being rolled into the cross-sectional shape of the flanged strip 18. that the deformation of the strip 12 to the cross-sectional shape of the flanged strip 18 results in a reduction in the thickness of the original strip, such reduction in thickness serving to fully fill-in the continuous flanged portions 20 and 22. If desired, the rolling of the strip may be accomplished by passing the wire or strip through a pair of preliminary rolls to partially deform the strip before final deformation in a second set of rolls. Also, while the preferred form of the invention contemplates the formation of the flanged strip 18 by rolling, such a flanged strip may be formed by extrusion.

The continuously flanged strip 18 is then subjected to a series of forming operations, as shown in Fig. 5. The strip is acted upon progressively, and may, if desired, be worked upon in a so-called single progressive die. As shown, the flanged strip 18 is acted upon by a flattening and flaring punch 28 (the die for supporting the strip 18 is not shown). The punch 28 serves to flatten the continuous, unbroken flanges 20 and 22 at predetermined, spaced intervals, and at the same time serves to outwardly flare the portions of the flanges adjacent the flattened areas. The flattened area is indicated at 30, and the outwardly flared portions of the flanges 20 and 22 are designated at 32, 32' and 34, 34, respectively. It will be apparent that the flattening and flaring operations may be accomplished separately. It is preferred, however, to accomplish these two operations simultaneously as shown.

To accomplish the flattening and flaring of the rails 20 and 22, the punch 28 is provided with longitudinally extending portions 36 and 36 which are received between the flanges 20 and 22, and laterally extending anvil portions 38 and 38 for flattening the flanges. The anvil portions 38 and 38' extend beyond the width of the strip 18. The portions of the punch 36, 38, 36' and 38' are connected by the curved portions 40 which act to impart the outwardly flared ends to the unflattened portions of the flanges 20 and 22. This outward flaring of the flanges on a curve is most important for a smooth running fastener.

As a result of the flattening operation, the strip 18 is made wider at the flattened area 30 than the original width of the flanged strip 18. Since, in the finished slider, the flattened area will be adjacent the neck or diamond portion, this added surface area presented to the fastener elements as they pass into and out of the slider is highly desirable.

The continuous strip 18 is then moved forward beneath a pair of laterally spaced notching punches. Only It will be understood, of course,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Sundback June 16, 1931 Poux Mar. 14, 1933 Dyresen Apr. 13, 1937 Poux June 1, 1943 Low Apr. 3, 1945 Graf Nov. 1, 1949 Burke Nov. 11, 1952 

